Enri wrote:
Ayul (and others), besides the updating of the firmware, if the lens has not the last one (V4), what other things should I use the station for and how I have to proceed? Thanks for your help.
The only other thing it is useful for is changing the “punt” value of the lens which seems to be a micro adjustment for front or back focusing problems. They have set this in the factory already but if you don’t agree with how they have set it you can adjust to your liking.
Any comparisons in focus reliability/accuracy between this and the Sigma Art 85mm? I realize the Sigma is a bit of monster in size. I just haven't been able to pull the trigger on the Samyang with the frequent reports of less than accurate focus.
I briefly had the Samyang and mine focused perfectly on my A7III with firmware v 0.4. Didn't try on my A9... I returned it because it was noticeably worse on the right side but the AF was perfectly OK. Almost at the same time, I bought a 85 1.8 FE and this sample is the most perfect I have ever seen. I already have one for work, and this one will be for personal trips. So no Samyang for me after all I think.
I also had the Sony 1.8 and the Batis 1.8. while both are very good lenses, to me both were no match for the Samyang in terms of bokeh and rendering. So I sold them both. But if you like the Sony 1.8 more you got a very nice and portable lens.
I picked one of these up and sold my 85/1.8. I thought about keeping both, but at the end of the day, I knew that I'd only grab the 85/1.8 rarely.
I do think that at f/1.8, my Sony was probably just a touch sharper, but I prefer the overall rendering of the Samyang, and it's still very good from f/1.4. It's not great at infinity at wide apertures, but I don't ever really shoot at infinity at wide apertures, so it's a complete non-issue for me. Sharp over most of the frame (and where it counts) at f/1.4, extremely sharp over most of the frame at f/2.8, and sharp to the corners stopped down, with gorgeous bokeh. Really enjoying mine so far.
AF has been generally good for me. Not quite as dead-on as my Sony was, but still good. Faster and quieter AF than the 85 GM was when I tested that. Overall, for an f/1.4 at $550, it's an absolute steal. It's a large lens, but surprisingly light. I've been really happy with it.
Jman13 wrote:
I picked one of these up and sold my 85/1.8. I thought about keeping both, but at the end of the day, I knew that I'd only grab the 85/1.8 rarely.
I do think that at f/1.8, my Sony was probably just a touch sharper, but I prefer the overall rendering of the Samyang, and it's still very good from f/1.4. It's not great at infinity at wide apertures, but I don't ever really shoot at infinity at wide apertures, so it's a complete non-issue for me. Sharp over most of the frame (and where it counts) at f/1.4, extremely sharp over most of the frame at f/2.8, and sharp to the corners stopped down, with gorgeous bokeh. Really enjoying mine so far.
AF has been generally good for me. Not quite as dead-on as my Sony was, but still good. Faster and quieter AF than the 85 GM was when I tested that. Overall, for an f/1.4 at $550, it's an absolute steal. It's a large lens, but surprisingly light. I've been really happy with it. ...Show more →
I consider the Samyang 35/1.4 and 85/1.4 amazing optically but unfortunatly they don't excel in AF accuracy. It's not bad but that's where unsurprisingly Sony does better.
p.35 #10 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
Yeah....it's not quite as good as Sony, but honestly on mine it hasn't been a major difference, though still noticeable. I maybe have 85-90% accuracy at f/1.4, which isn't bad at all considering how razor thin the depth of field is. I was probably closer to 95% on my Sony. I have no desire to mess with the Samyang 35/1.4, as I have a great copy of the Sigma 35/1.4, and its AF accuracy is exceptional.
p.35 #11 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
Fred Miranda wrote:
I consider the Samyang 35/1.4 and 85/1.4 amazing optically but unfortunatly they don't excel in AF accuracy. It's not bad but that's where unsurprisingly Sony does better.
Similar to my experience and why I sold both in the end. I just couldnt rely on the AF performance. IQ is very good specially when you consider the price which is why I wanted to make them work so much. :/
p.35 #12 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
GabrielPhoto wrote:
Similar to my experience and why I sold both in the end. I just couldnt rely on the AF performance. IQ is very good specially when you consider the price which is why I wanted to make them work so much. :/
It's more of an issue for professional photographers who can't afford to miss focus. If I were shooting a wedding with a 85mm lens, I would go with either the 85/1.4 GM or FE 85/1.8. The former's AF is slow but accurate from my experience with the lens.
p.35 #13 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
Fred Miranda wrote:
It's more of an issue for professional photographers who can't afford to miss focus. If I were shooting a wedding with a 85mm lens, I would go with either the 85/1.4 GM or FE 85/1.8. The former's AF is slow but accurate from my experience with the lens.
Yep both are very accurate indeed as is the Sigma 85mm 1.4 Art.
p.35 #14 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
Jman13 wrote:
I picked one of these up and sold my 85/1.8. I thought about keeping both, but at the end of the day, I knew that I'd only grab the 85/1.8 rarely.
I do think that at f/1.8, my Sony was probably just a touch sharper, but I prefer the overall rendering of the Samyang, and it's still very good from f/1.4. It's not great at infinity at wide apertures, but I don't ever really shoot at infinity at wide apertures, so it's a complete non-issue for me. Sharp over most of the frame (and where it counts) at f/1.4, extremely sharp over most of the frame at f/2.8, and sharp to the corners stopped down, with gorgeous bokeh. Really enjoying mine so far.
AF has been generally good for me. Not quite as dead-on as my Sony was, but still good. Faster and quieter AF than the 85 GM was when I tested that. Overall, for an f/1.4 at $550, it's an absolute steal. It's a large lens, but surprisingly light. I've been really happy with it.
Have you experienced any front/back focusing issues? How about at MFD - Have you had it confirm focus when it wasn’t actually properly focused? How has focusing been in low light situations? These have been the hurdles for several people with the lens. Tried AF-S vs AF-C accuracy?
I found my copy sharper than the 85/1.8 that I tested, but with less micro contrast which makes it appear slightly less harsh. I think this also is why the bokeh is so great.
p.35 #15 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
I haven't had any of those issues to speak of. AF-C is fine for me, but it isn't as good at tracking fast motion as the f/1.8.
My 85/1.8 was an absolute razor at f/1.8, even on the A7R IV. The Samyang is close, but not quite as sharp as that, but still quite good, and very close at the same aperture.
p.35 #16 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
I was 100% sold on this lens and even listed my 85mm f/1.8 for sale, but I have to admit after reading every single page of this thread I am a bit concerned for the AF.
I have asked several stores now and they don’t actually hold stock of the lens, it comes straight from the supplier which means no testing before I buy. I also enquired as to what would be done if I had issues and was informed it would be sent back to the supplier for testing/repair, NOT replacement.
I think the combination of issues I’ve seen in this thread and not being able to get a replacement if it’s faulty has really put me off and reconsider.
p.35 #17 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
I use one and love it. No issues with AF-C/AF-S. It's not an action lens, but neither is GM. No return/replacement makes it tougher to go for it, but if you could rent it or borrow it from a friend/colleague, worth trying would be my suggestion. Here's AF comparison with Sony f1.8 in video and stills (in Korean, but language doesn't matter here):
p.35 #18 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
jigesh wrote:
I use one and love it. No issues with AF-C/AF-S. It's not an action lens, but neither is GM. No return/replacement makes it tougher to go for it, but if you could rent it or borrow it from a friend/colleague, worth trying would be my suggestion. Here's AF comparison with Sony f1.8 in video and stills (in Korean, but language doesn't matter here):
Thanks for the video link! Here in Aus renting isn’t really an option and don’t know of any friends that own the lens. I barely shoot anything action related so speed isn’t as much of a concern for me as much as accuracy is. I’m not sure if the store will let me try it first but might ask tomorrow if I get the chance.
I mainly use the lens for still life and street so two very different uses in a way.
p.35 #19 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
jigesh wrote:
I use one and love it. No issues with AF-C/AF-S. It's not an action lens, but neither is GM. No return/replacement makes it tougher to go for it, but if you could rent it or borrow it from a friend/colleague, worth trying would be my suggestion.
The Samyang 85/1.4 is definitely a great lens. Lovely rendering and IQ across the image field. It's also light for a 85/1.4 lens.
AF is definitely not as accurate as the Sony 85/1.8 or 85/1.4 GM but it's fine most of the time. The GM has even slower AF but from my experience testing many copies of these lenses, it's more accurate than the Samyang.
p.35 #20 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
Fred Miranda wrote:
The Samyang 85/1.4 is definitely a great lens. Lovely rendering and IQ across the image field. It's also light for a 85/1.4 lens.
AF is definitely not as accurate as the Sony 85/1.8 or 85/1.4 GM but it's fine most of the time. The GM has even slower AF but from my experience testing many copies of these lenses, it's more accurate than the Samyang.
Can you define how you measure accuracy? I say this only because I know there is copy variation, but at the same time many people find their copies of the lens to be quite accurate for AF. The issue being that some copies front or back focus. Or in my experience, focus right at MFD can sometimes confirm focus erroneously (backing up a few inches clears this up). Or is it a matter of burst shooting and % of shots in focus etc? Just curious what your evaluation parameters were for the tests.
